I'm not coming back, Dad!
by twin192
Summary: They are finally taking the much needed vacation. But what if Jane meets someone who he hasn't seen in nearly 20 years and who wants him back now? Sequel to 'Lost in the Woods'
1. Chapter 1

_A/N:_ So here's my new story. It's a sequel to 'Lost in the Woods' but you don't have to read that to understand this one. Hope you enjoy reading and don't forget to tell me your opinion in a small review ;)

**Chapter 1**

"So tell me, why are all of you here? Bothering me on _my _vacation?" Teresa Lisbon asked after her whole team sat down in the beach house she had rented for two weeks. The last case had taken its toll on her and Hightower gave her two weeks off to relax and recharge her battery so to speak. She happily obliged, thanked her boss, booked a lovely house on the beach and was off by the next day. She didn't tell her team where she went just that she was on vacation for two weeks and they better not trash the place while she was gone. They wished her a good time and here she was in this lovely beach house. She had arrived yesterday afternoon and spent a really relaxing evening on the beach and later on her porch.

It was a little after 9 am and she had just finished her morning run on the beach as she heard a few knocks on her door and found her whole team waiting on the other side. They greeted her with a happy 'morning boss' and a smile (even Cho) and entered her beach house before she could say anything. They put their luggage into one corner of the huge room with an open kitchen and living room and dining table and were about to explore the house when she stopped them, motioned for them to sit down at the table and asked the question that was on her mind.

"So?" she asked again. Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt looked at her strangely and Jane had a smug grin on his face.

Rigsby was the first to break the silence. "Well boss, you see after you were gone Hightower gave Jane two weeks off as well and with nearly half of the team gone we managed to convince her to let us all take our vacation time. So yesterday evening we talked about what we could do with these two weeks and decided to go somewhere together. Because you know, it's more fun that way. We could go to the beach, build sand castle, have a huge barbecue..."

"Rigsby!" Lisbon interrupted him before his eyes would pop out of his head, thinking about all the meat he could eat on such an occasion.

He shook his head and continued to speak. "Yeah, right, sorry boss. So we were just discussing where to go as Jane came out of your offi... eehm the break room..."

Lisbon threw Jane a suspicious glance and was about to tell him to not pick her lock anymore and that he really had no business snooping around her office even though she had learned the first week working with him not to let anything important lying around, it still felt like he invaded her privacy...

"Anyway, he told us that he talked to you on the phone and that you invited us all to join you because the house is big enough and it would be more fun with more people. And well, here we are. So I guess you didn't invite us after all?" he hesitantly asked her and looked at her sadly, already seeing his barbecue flying out of the window.

"Jane can I talk to you for a second?" she stared at Jane angrily and turned around walking out of the house to the beach, not waiting for him to follow. She knew that he would come after her.

"How can I help you my dear?" he asked once she stopped walking. She spun around angrily and poked her finger repeatedly into his chest.

"You damn well know what I mean! This was the exact reason why I told no one where I was going. I knew once you knew where I was going you would want to follow. I wanted to relax a little and not constantly worry about what ridiculous scheme you would come up with next. This is my vacation Jane! Why do you want to ruin it?"

"Lisbon, come on we won't ruin your vacation. We will make it much more fun. What would you have done here for two weeks alone anyway? And I figured you could use some help with that shoulder of yours."

Just the mention of it made her shoulder sting again. She had been shot on the last case. It was not so bad, the bullet went straight through and it got cleansed and bandaged properly but she still couldn't use her left arm fully. She managed somehow and she still had the pain meds from the doctor in case she needed them. Not that she would take them even if she needed them. She could deal with a little pain.

"Oh and while we are at it. You went running? With your arm that should be in a sling? Why did you take it off? Your doctor told you specifically no exercise and no hard work for the next three weeks." Jane added.

"How did you even..." before she could finish her sentence she stopped. Damn, she thought. She was still wearing her work out clothes and it didn't take much to guess what she's been up to.

"It doesn't matter. I don't need your help Jane, I'm fine. Don't worry about me and have a nice vacation somewhere else." She told him and tried to cross her arms in front of her but found out the hard way that moving her shoulder was not a good idea. She had managed to hold it still for most of the morning and put her sling on for the running so her shoulder wouldn't move too much. She let out a harsh breath and tried to mask the movement but Jane had already seen the pain in her eyes.

"That's not exactly what I would call fine. But never mind you will soon beg me to help you once you go to the store or you have to carry a bag and an umbrella to the beach. I can wait."

Lisbon snorted and looked away. There was no way she was going to ask for his help now. She agreed that a little help could not hurt but it would be a looong way before she would ask him of all people.

"Oh, come on Lisbon you can't kick us out. Did you see Rigsby's face earlier and how excited he was? You throwing us out would break his heart. And Cho even smiled. He smiled. And not a small twitch of his mouth that could have gone for something else. I may even have seen some dimples but that could have been my imagination because I was standing behind him and couldn't see clearly. I really want to know what he looks like when he smiles and this is the perfect opportunity to find out. Please Lisbon I promise you I will behave. No trouble and no schemes. I will be a good boy and just enjoy our vacation." he looked at her with puppy dog eyes and that pout of the lips that she just couldn't resist. Damn you Patrick Jane! How do you manage to convince me every single time?

Jane saw the surrender in her eyes and beamed at her. "Thank you Lisbon! I promise you will not regret this"

"Well I already do so get back into the house before I change my mind." she grumbled and started making her way back to her porch and into the house.

The team still sat where they left them and Jane beamed at them. "We can stay! First one up the stairs can chose the bedrooms!" he called out to them and hurried to the stairs. Rigsby and Van Pelt were out of their chairs in seconds following him up to the first floor.

"Is it really okay for you if we stay here boss?" Cho asked hesitantly. "If you want to be alone I'm sure we could find somewhere else to stay."

"Nah it's fine Cho. You can stay. I guess Jane is right and it really will be more fun there are more people. Come on let's follow them and prevent them from fighting over the best room." Lisbon told him and they, too, made their way up the stairs.

On the first floor they were greeted with Rigsby and Grace arguing over the bedroom that had the nicest view and was, aside from Lisbon's, the biggest.

"I was here first Grace. So choose another one." Rigsby argued.

"But it is the biggest room and it has a bathroom attached to it. You don't need so much space and I'm sure you don't mind sharing a bathroom with Cho and Jane." Grace replied.

"But this room has a TV! The other rooms are small and have really tiny windows. What if I get claustrophobia? I'm sure I won't even fit through the doors."

"Don't be such a baby of course you will fit in there. And you never had claustrophobia before so you will be fine. If you want you can use the TV in this room but it will be mine. Come on Rigsby, please?" She put her hand on his arm and looked at him pleadingly.

"Damn I just can't refuse you anything if you look at me like that." he murmured. "Fine", he continued in a normal volume. "You can have this room but you will let me use your TV."

Grace beamed at him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Thank you!" she smiled and went into her room, checking everything out.

"So which rooms are left?" Cho asked and walked over to Rigsby and Jane. He wondered why Jane had not argued with the others over the room.

"There are only four bedrooms, guys. I'm sorry but I didn't know someone was joining me." Lisbon said glaring at Jane.

"Don't worry guys" Jane said, "I will sleep on the couch in the living room. I'm comfortable on couches so I will be fine."

"Cool, then I'll take this room. Cho take that one." Rigsby motioned to the last room and vanished into the one next to Grace's. Cho walked into his room and left Jane and Lisbon alone in the hall.

"Are you sure you will be fine on the couch Jane?" Lisbon asked and made her way back downstairs.

"Aww Lisbon are you worried? Or searching for a reason to invite me into your room? Because of that's the case then I'll happily..."

"Never mind." Lisbon said and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"I'll go upstairs and take a shower don't make a mess while I'm gone." she told him and went upstairs.

The team was still busy getting their luggage into their rooms and Patrick wandered through the house in search of something to do. He didn't find anything and went outside to look at the sea. He sat down in the sand and let his mind wander free while watching the waves crushing to the shore.

He didn't know how long he sat there but it must have been a while because Lisbon shouted for him saying something about lunch.

He reluctantly moved from his spot on the beach and wandered back to the house.

"Jane we are about to get some lunch, you wanna come?" Lisbon asked as he stepped on the porch.

"Sure, it'll be fun!" Jane smiled at her.

The team was ready and they went to the beach promenade in search of nice little restaurant where they could eat their lunch. They decided on a simple one where they sold the basics. They settled into a booth in the back of the restaurant and a few minutes later a waitress came to them and they ordered. While they waited a simple conversation took place about what they wanted to do in the next days and when they would have that barbecue Rigsby insisted on.

Jane looked around like he always did when in a more or less crowded place. He was about to get up to let Van Pelt out of the booth because she wanted to go to the ladies room when he suddenly stopped. His eyes went wide and his mouth hung open.

"Jane? Everything okay?" Van Pelt asked when he didn't move. The team stopped talking and watched as Jane's face became pale.

"Jane? You okay?" Lisbon tried.

Jane didn't hear them. He was rooted to the spot as soon as he saw the face of the man he hadn't seen for nearly 20 years. Jane could only stare at him sitting at a table near the door with a teenage boy. He sat with his back to Jane while he talked to the boy but after only moments of staring the boy picked up on it. He whispered something to the man and he turned around. Their eyes met and he could see the moment as confusion turned into recognition as the man's face turned into a huge smile. He stood up and quickly made his way over to their booth.

"Patti! It's been so long, what have you been up to?"

Lisbon and the team looked at them confused and turned their heads to hear Jane's answer.

"Dad... what are you doing here?" he whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N:_ Here's chapter 2! I hope you enjoy and please review! On that note I want to thank everyone who reviewed chapter 1, it was awesome getting 10 reviews for only one chapter!

**Chapter 2**

"_Dad... what are you doing here?" he whispered._

"Oh you know how it is. Wandering from town to town. We're making a stop here." Alex Jane told his son and smiled at him.

"Hmm..." Jane said distractedly. His thoughts still went a mile a minute. What was his father doing here? Or more why did he have to meet him? After 20 years? And who was that kid with him? How did his father manage to stay in the carnival without a show?

His thoughts were interrupted by his father. "Son? Care to introduce me to your friends?"

Jane became aware of his surroundings again. He was still standing in an awkward position, halfway up, on his way to let Van Pelt out of the booth. When he turned back to the table he was met with the curious stares of his co-workers and friends.

"Oh sorry Grace, you wanted to go to the ladies room." Jane finished his movement to make room for Grace to scoot out of the booth.

"Nah Jane, don't worry it's not important I can wait... So?" she looked at him questioningly and made a small movement with her head in the direction of the man who interrupted them.

"Patti? You okay? You act a little strange. And what exactly did you do to your throat? It looks painful." his father asked with genuine concern showing in his eyes.

"Don't worry, it's nothing" he replied absentmindedly and thought back to the time he received the injury. It had been only a little over a week ago when the team got a case out of town. They took two vehicles like always, Lisbon and him in one car and Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt in the other. He didn't know how but Lisbon and he somehow managed to get themselves lost in the woods and were captured by some dangerous criminals who wanted to sell them on the slave market. After being held in a basement, trying to escape but captured again, being put in a tiny little trunk and driven through half of the state, escaping again in a parking lot only to be captured again and forced to wear horrible clothes, not to mention that Lisbon was shot, the team finally managed to find them just in time to watch the boss of a huge human trafficking ring slit his throat. It was very painful but not as bad as he anticipated. Nothing major was cut and the wound healed nicely. The only thing that really bothered him was the fact that he wasn't allowed to speak for a whole week because his vocal cords were slightly damaged. The doctor said that a small scar would remain, but otherwise he would make a full recovery.

He had worn a bandage over the cut for the last few days but decided to go without one today. The scar was small, but red and angry and still had stitches in it.

"Jane? You in there?" Jane was brought back from his thoughts once again only to find Lisbon standing directly in front of him.

"Lisbon? Uhm yeah I'm alright. What is taking the waitress so long? We ordered like 20 minutes ago!"

"No Jane, it's been only five minutes." Lisbon looked at him concerned. He didn't look that good. He became pale and distracted as soon as he saw the man who, if she heard correctly, was his father. He didn't tell her much about him but she suspected that they weren't on good terms. She knew that they were with the carnival and had some kind of mind reading show. But other than the fact that he ran away with his wife as soon as they turned 18 she didn't know anything.

"Only five minutes. Well, it's taking forever, I'll go and see what's taking them so long." He was about to make his way to the counter when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Patti, talk to me." It wasn't a question.

"Let go of me dad. I don't want to see or talk to you." Jane tried to push the hand from his shoulder but his father's grab became tighter.

"We haven't seen each other in nearly 20 years and now you won't even talk to me? What's up with you? And just so you know your departure gave me a lot of trouble. It was not easy to keep going when my main income decided that he wanted to have a free life outside the carnival."

"I'm sure you made it just fine. With all the money you put aside and all the jewelry you took from the poor people who only wanted to help their children with your magical healing stone." Jane scoffed and took the first real look at him.

His father looked much older than the last time he had seen him. His hair was now completely gray and he had a lot more wrinkles. He hadn't lost the hard look in his eyes who now showed disappointment and a little bit of anger.

"Don't speak ill of my methods, son! These methods were the reason you had meals on the table for 18 years. Without them we wouldn't have made it this far and I couldn't have paid your private tutor. I still don't know why you wanted to go to school that badly. I could have taught you all you needed to know to live a happy live with us carny people. But not the almighty Patrick Jane. He thought he was better and needed to know all that crappy stuff you learn in school to be 'prepared for the future'. Your future had been decided the moment you were born in our carny trailer and I don't know why you wanted to change that. Many people would have been happy if they wouldn't have to worry about their future, so why not you?"

Jane listened and got angrier with every word that man said. Why couldn't he just let sleeping dogs lie and go to wherever he came from? He didn't need that trouble, he was on vacation. He wanted to have fun with his friends without that man suddenly appearing in his life again. What made him finally snap were the next words out of that mans mouth.

"You ran away son. With that girl who I told you wasn't good for you. She gave you the idea that life would be much better outside of the carnival and finally convinced you to run away, that little witch. By the way where is she? Did she leave you? Figured, that one was never one to keep around. She flirted with everything that crossed her path. I bet she cheated on you. Good for you, son, now you don't have to bother with her any longer." Alex Jane laughed and patted Jane on the shoulder. He didn't see the hatred and boiling anger in Patrick's eyes until his nose was met with a fist.

"Don't you dare talk about Angela that way. She was a much better person than you'll ever be and she didn't cheat on me. We married and were really happy!" Jane spat and shook his hand. It really hurt.

"So where is she now that little slut? I thought you were happy." his father said coldly and held his nose. As far as he could tell it wasn't broken but he would let it get checked out anyway.

"She died!" Jane shouted and ran out of the restaurant into the hot sun. He ran to the beach and down to the water. Not caring about his clothes he ran into it until it reached his hip. He couldn't believe the way that man, his _father_ talked about the woman he loved. He stood in the cold waves and tried to calm down.

After about ten minutes he was calm enough to think about the situation and not let his emotions get the better of him. He met his father. After 20 years. And one of the first things he does is insulting his wife. He has no right to do that. He didn't know her and he will never get to know the real Angela. He thought maybe after all those years it would be nice to meet again and talk about the good old times, even if only a few of them were good memories. He decided he needed to get back in there, if only to let the team know that he was alright. He hoped that his father was gone and he could enjoy lunch.

He walked out of the water and over the beach back to the restaurant. In front of the door he saw a small boy of about five years eating ice cream. He looked at him curiously and was met with a toothless smile.

"Hey mister, your clothes are all wet did you notice?" the small boy asked.

Jane looked down and saw that his pants were totally ruined. They were completely wet and he could swear that something green was poking out of his pocket. He was still wearing the three piece suit he had been wearing when they arrived at the beach house.

"Did you go into the sea to cool down? Because your clothes look really hot. Why didn't you wear shorts?" the boy continued to ask and eat his ice cream.

Jane crouched down next to the boy. "Well you see, I always wear suits. So I didn't think to change them when we made our way out here to the beach. And yeah the clothes are really hot but that's not why I went into the water."

"Then why did you?" the boy asked, smearing the ice cream all over his face.

"I was angry and needed to cool down. So I went into the sea."

"Because the sea is cold?"

"Yes that's right. The sea is cold and helped me to calm down. What are you doing here? Where are your parents?"

"Don't have any. But my brother and uncle are in there having lunch. I didn't want any, I wanted ice cream. So I went and got me some but I'm not allowed in there with my ice cream so I'm waiting outside. I bet you aren't allowed in there either with your clothes all wet. We could wait here together." the boy spoke, looking at Jane hopefully.

Jane sighed. "I guess you are right, they won't let me in there with my wet clothes. We can wait together. What's your name?"

"I am Sammy. And my brother's name is Brandon. Boring huh? I like Sammy much better. What's yours?" Sammy asked excitedly.

"My name is Patrick. It's also boring, a lot of people have that name. But you know what? I am special. I can read minds."

"Really? My brother does that too but he doesn't like it. But uncle says it's necc...ce..sary for our income. I don't understand that but Brandon doesn't like it. But he says we must be good and do what uncle wants because he took us in when mommy and daddy left. Why did they leave us? Didn't they want us anymore? Because I promised I'll be good for forever if they just stayed but they left. I even prayed to god but he didn't bring them back. Don't they love me anymore?" Sammy looked sad and on the verge of crying. He sniffled and looked at Patrick questioningly.

"I'm sure your parents didn't want to leave, Sammy. But sometimes people have no choice and have to do things they don't want to do. I'm sure they are just as sad about not being able to see you as you are about not being able to see them. Don't be sad Sammy. At least you got your brother with you. Do you like your brother?"

"Yeah, he's great. But he has no time to play with me anymore. Uncle always brings him to places and then they do strange things. I don't understand but uncle asks him many questions and Brandon needs to give the right answer. They call it 'training'."

Jane got a fleeting suspicion who that uncle may be and wanted to confirm it with the boy.

"Sammy how long have you and your brother lived with the uncle?"

"Uumm I dunno, I guess since I was three. And now I'm five, so two years? Is that correct? Brandon tries to teach me numbers but I'm not really good at them."

"Yeah Sammy that's correct. Did Brandon learn numbers in school?"

"No he never went to school. We aren't allowed to since we are moving so much and uncle says it's easier to teach us all the important things at home."

"Sammy, what is the name of your uncle?"

Sammy was about to answer but was distracted by two people coming out of the restaurant. Jane was once again confronted with his father but he didn't say anything. He just looked as Sammy ran to the boy who had been sitting next to his father in the restaurant earlier and took his hand.

"Brandon! Look I've met a new friend. His name is Patrick and he's nice and also can read minds." Sammy happily told Brandon and pointed at Patrick. He looked up at Brandon and continued in a loud whisper. "But he's a little strange he goes swimming with his clothes on."

Brandon laughed and looked at Jane with a smile. "Thanks for keeping him company and out of trouble." The boy looked to be about 14 years old. He seemed much to mature for a boy his age and his eyes looked like they had seen too much.

"Brandon! Sammy! Don't chat we're going now. And Patrick you can find us just outside of town. You know, in case you want to apologize." Alex Jane said and motioned at his nose. He turned around and started walking away. Brandon followed and took Sammy with him.

"Patrick! You are nice. I hope we'll see each other again!" Sammy shouted over his shoulder and then turned around to talk with his brother animatedly.

Jane stared after them deep in thought.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: _Hey guys sorry for the looooooooooooong wait. At first I really had a reason for not writing (I had my final exams at school and then started working) but after that I couldn't bring myself to write down my ideas. Today I decided to just sit down and do it. And apparently it worked I hope you guys will continue reading even if it took me so long. I promise the next chapter won't take that long. Probably next week because of Christmas. And I took two weeks leave from work so I should find the time to write after Christmas. Anyway I hope you still enjoy reading this. Have fun!

**Chapter 3**

"Jane? Are you okay?"

Jane was brought back from his thoughts by Lisbon's voice and turned around to see the worried eyes of his co-workers.

"You okay, Jane?" Lisbon tried again. Jane shook his head to clear his head and smiled at her.

"Of course, my dear. Everything is perfect. This is a lovely place. We're lucky you let us stay with you. Now what about that lunch, I'm starving."

"Jane that man said he was your father and you didn't seem to take the reunion very well. And your clothes are wet. What did you do?" Lisbon continued to ask, ignoring Jane's earlier comment.

"I went for a swim. Now who wants some ice cream? Sammy told me the one he got was very delicious, so I'm going to the place over there and get me some." Jane motioned to an ice cream place down the street.

"I want some!" Rigsby shouted but was silenced by Van Pelt jabbing her elbow into his ribs. "Ouch! What was that for? I didn't do anything!" he exclaimed and rubbed the sore spot on his torso.

"Shut up Rigsby. I want to check out the store we went by earlier. Accompany me." Van Pelt said and dragged Rigsby away before he could protest. Cho, not wanting to stay while his boss was staring at Jane with a look that said 'don't-even-try-to-lie-to-me-it-won't-work', murmured something about Rigsby having his purse and followed Van Pelt and Rigsby to a nearby store.

Meanwhile Jane had started his way over to the ice cream place and stood behind a couple with a lot of kids who couldn't decide which flavor they wanted. The parents tried to explain to their kids why they couldn't just get every flavor and the guests just chuckled and murmured something about 'cute kids'. Lisbon, not in the mood to let Jane evade her questions, followed him and started her questioning again.

"Jane talk to me" she stated firmly. It wasn't a question.

"Quite demanding today aren't you my dear Lisbon?" Jane chuckled.

"Jane, come on. This was supposed to be a vacation for all of us and we were supposed to have fun. Well, technically this was supposed to be my vacation, but I can't change the fact that you all are here now so let's make the best of it. This must upset you. It's been so long since you last saw him. You don't want to catch up with him?" she asked curiously.

She was worried about him. He has been pale since the moment he locked eyes with his father and he punched him after about three minutes of talking. After that he ran away to take a swim in the ocean. Fully clothed. And now he was evading any question about his father and trying to distract her with lunch and ice cream. Lisbon didn't know much about what had happened between them, but from the little Jane told her, his childhood wasn't exactly normal. Well, a life with the carnie people is predestined to be different but there's something more. Something must have happened that made him turn his back on his old life and start new with nothing but his best friend at the time. She really wanted to help him, but he was really making this hard. Instead of giving her an honest answer for once he evaded. Just like always. She understood, but she also wanted to help him. She was so deep in thought that she nearly missed his answer.

"No. I don't want to catch up with him and play happy family. It's too late. And even if I wanted to, I punched him only ten minutes ago. Trust me, he won't be nice and smile before I apologize. Profusely. And I'm not really in the mood to crawl in the mud before him, kissing his shoes and begging him for forgiveness. He deserved what he got. Nobody talks about Angela that way, when they don't know her. Hell, even if he did know her, he only saw what he wanted to see. He always disliked her, even when we were only friends. I guess it was because of her father. They always had a little feud going on ever since Frank, Angelas father, won a huge sum of money while playing poker one night. Alex gambled higher and higher and in the end he lost. Everything. We were lucky that Frank left us the trailer, otherwise we would have had anywhere to sleep. He always had a gambling problem. Coupled with one or the other beer and a healthy dose of confidence he almost always won. My father had extreme luck in all the little games he played with customers and his poker face was excellent. But this one time he lost. Ever since then he disliked Frank. And when I started befriending Angela he disapproved right away. But when you're constantly moving around you can't find friends easily. I was happy to have someone there who was close to my own age. I didn't listen to him and became really good friends with Angela."

Jane was interrupted by a small kid who stood behind him and Lisbon.

"Hey Mister! It's your turn. If you don't want any take the pretty lady and talk elsewhere."

Lisbon looked shocked, not because of the kid but because of how much Jane actually told her about his childhood and his father. This was the first time he told her more than a comment in passing about how he acquired a specific skill when he was young.

Lisbon looked to Jane and couldn't help but chuckle at the befuddled look on his face. She touched his arm and nodded towards the beach.

"Come on Jane, let's take a walk and talk some more."

Jane didn't resist and walked with her down to the beach. They walked along the shore in silence, both of them deep in thought.

He was confused. Why did he tell her all that? Not that he minded Lisbon knowing more about him, but it wasn't what they did. Normally they would just ignore such things. Normally they didn't talk about their childhoods. And at the beginning of their working relationship he liked that. He didn't want to talk about his past. It hurt too much. But ever since they became friends and started spending more time together he realized that he wanted to tell her about himself. And not just the good memories (few as they were) but also the bad. It felt good talking about the life only he and his wife knew of. But he didn't tell her because there never seemed to be the right time and really, how would he have even started? 'Hey Lisbon, you want to know how I became the way I am? Let's go to your office and have a nice lengthy conversation where I tell you everything about myself and my life. I hope you don't have any plans for the next week because this could take some time.' Yeah, that would have worked well. He was sure Lisbon would have listened to him but that was not what he wanted. He didn't want to spring everything on her at once and let her wonder what the hell was wrong with him. Another reason for refraining from telling her things was that she seemed to like the part of their relationship where they don't talk about their pasts and ignore it for the most part if it came up. If he didn't share, she didn't have to either. That worked well for the most part. He decided it was all out of the window now. Lisbon wouldn't let him ignore this. He had punched his father right in front of her. There was no way she was going to ignore that.

Jane took a deep breath and decided to be honest with her and just tell her everything he was thinking about.

Before he could begin Lisbon decided the silence went on long enough.

"Jane what are you thinking? I'm really worried about you. Please talk to me. Was your father really that bad? And what about the two boys he had with them? You know them?" She was pretty sure he didn't know the boys since they were so young but it didn't hurt to ask.

"I'm thinking about my past. My childhood. My father. My wife. Life with the carnie people. How strange it was to meet him here of all places. The fact that he could still make me so upset with just a few words. You, and the fact that I finally want to be honest with you and tell you about myself. And the fact that I'm really cold now. My pants are still wet and the wind on the beach isn't helping either. That's about all, I guess. Apart from the usual you know. Figuring out a new plan to play with Rigsby or to try and get Cho to smile. Or how to get into your office without you noticing. I'm really making progress with that. As far as I know you didn't notice the last time I was in there. But don't worry I only pushed your office supplies around a bit. To see if you would notice." He smiled mischievously at her and she gaped at him with an open mouth.

"What? Jane! Why would you get to all the trouble only to mess my desk up? And I noticed by the way. I just thought the cleaning crew felt generous and decided to clean my desk once in a while. And what do you mean, you want to start being honest with me? Did you hit your head or swallowed some salt water while taking a swim?"

Jane just chuckled and led her in the general direction of their beach house. He was really freezing with all the wind and wanted to at least change his pants.

"Well Lisbon, I did it to know that if I had to I could get in without damaging the door or alerting other people. And I mean just what I said. I want to be honest with you and tell you everything you want to know. And now that's just rude. Just because I decided to change my behavior you assume that I can't really mean it. You wound me, Lisbon."

Lisbon didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell her everything she wanted to know? A thousand questions whirled in her mind but she couldn't decide which one to ask.

"So, if I ask you something you would really answer honestly? No matter what I ask? I find that hard to believe Jane. You never told me something about your private life voluntarily."

"I mean it Lisbon. Ask away." He smiled at her and watched as she thought hard about a question.

"Okay I'll take what I can get. So back to my original questions. Are you okay and what did your father do? You know anything about the boys?"

"Well, I guess I'm as okay as can be expected. I don't really like it that Alex has turned up so suddenly and that our meeting went so bad. After the first years of marriage with Angela I thought it might be nice to see him again. Maybe tell him about my daughter and see if he would be happy for me. But I was scared of his reaction and then Red John came into the picture and you know what happened. After that I didn't really think about him. But when I saw him today the old fear made itself known again and I tried to run. Well that didn't work out to well now did it? Anyway I was right not to meet him sooner. You heard what he said. He is still not over his loss to Frank and apparently he didn't even know that Angela is dead. He clearly shows no interest in my well being. As for the boys I'm not sure but I guess Brandon is my replacement. Sammy told me that Alex is training Brandon to read minds. I guess Sammy is helping by just being there and looking cute. Women love cute children and always pay extra when they see one."

Jane sighed and looked up along the beach. He could already see the beach house which meant they only had a couple more minutes to talk before they arrived.

"Are you okay with that? Forcing Brandon to live the same life you did?" Lisbon asked carefully.

Jane snorted. "Of course not. Nobody should live that way. It's not good for a child, he will learn all the wrong things won't know how to adapt."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I'm not sure but I will think of something. I guess I will have to go to him again. I can't just leave Sammy and Brandon with him knowing what the result of that could be." Jane and Lisbon arrived at the beach house and Lisbon turned to sit on the chairs on the porch but Jane stopped her.

"I'm sorry, I will promise to continue this talk later, but right now I really need a shower. I'm freezing." Jane smiled at her and left her outside. She saw him take his bag and wander up the stairs. She briefly wondered which shower he would use but discarded that thought at the same moment. She had a lot more important thinking to so. Jane had told her a lot when she expected to get nothing.

Lisbon wandered back out to the beach and sat down near the spot she found Jane earlier in the day. It was a good thinking spot she decided.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hey guys, this time I don't really have an excuse for not writing for so long. The words just wouldn't come out. So I hope you'll still enjoy this chapter and I'll really try to write the next chapter soon. Enjoy and review :)_

**Chapter 4**

Meanwhile Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt made their way back to the beach house.

"What do you guys think happened between Jane and his father? I mean, obviously it couldn't have been very nice, after all Jane didn't even talk to him for three minutes before punching him. But come on, they're family, it couldn't have been that bad." Van Pelt asked.

Cho looked deep in thought and Rigsby happily ate the ice cream they got before heading back to the house. They walked along the beach barefoot and enjoyed the sand beneath their feet and the slow waves from the ocean. There were a few people taking a walk along the beach and a few kids trying to build sand castles. But none of them were near enough to listen to the conversation of the three agents.

"It's none of our business." Cho stated shortly and increased his walking speed a little bit.

"Come on Cho! Aren't you the tiniest bit curious? Jane didn't talk to his father for nearly 20 years! There has to be a story behind that." Grace tried again but Cho only answered with a short "No."

Grace gave up and turned to speak with Rigsby. "What about you? I'm sure you're just as curious as I am. What do you think happened, Wayne?"

"Huh?" Rigsby asked after being startled at hearing his name. He enjoyed his ice cream and was watching the little kids playing in the sand. He would love to have a little one on his own. All the games they could play together!

"Did you hear one word of the things I said?" Grace asked angrily and stopped walking to stare at her co-workers and friends.

"Umm" Rigsby said and tried to think about what Grace could have said. Nope, he thought. Not coming up with anything. "I'm sorry Grace, what did you say? I wasn't paying attention I thought you were talking to Cho."

"Uhh! Guys! This is serious! Didn't you ever wonder how Jane became the way he is today? Where he learned all that? And why is nobody concerned about the fact that Jane punched his father in the middle of a restaurant? It's true that the things Jane's father said weren't very nice, but to just punch him in the nose? Jane hates violence and wouldn't use it if it weren't serious!"

Rigsby looked like he didn't know what to do. Staring wide eyed at Grace he could see that she was very upset but she was also angry and he didn't want to get in the way of that. Looking for help he turned to look at Cho but he wasn't there anymore. He couldn't remember if Cho had even stopped when Grace did to start her little speech. Damn, he thought. Leaving me all alone to deal with this! I will remember that, buddy! Not knowing what else to do he turned back to look at Grace who seemed even angrier than before.

"Umm, Grace", he tried to calm her down by going near her and holding his hands before him in a soothing gesture. "I'm sure Jane is alright. And if he is upset by the whole meeting-the-father-thing then he has Lisbon to talk to. Who knows, maybe they are talking about it right now. Let her handle it. She knows how to deal with him."

"But didn't you see how upset he was? He ran out of that restaurant so fast and then he went straight into the sea. With all of his clothes on! And I don't know about you, but I would be very angry if my father had talked about my husband the way he talked about Jane's wife."

"I know what you mean Grace, but what do you want to do? You really think asking him will help? If he doesn't want to talk about it, he won't. You know Jane. Maybe he wants to talk about it, maybe not. But I think it's better to let him come to us if he wants to talk." Rigsby was surprised at himself. That sounded like actual helpful advice. He wasn't by any means dumb or anything, in his own way he was very intelligent, but talking about feelings and giving advice in such a matter wasn't his strong point.

"But we can't just pretend we don't care. I really want to help him." Grace said sadly.

"I know you care, Grace. And I didn't say stop caring, but maybe leave him some room to figure things out. Show him that you care without making him talk about his feelings. I'm sure he will come to us eventually. And now let's go. I bet Cho is already back at the house. And maybe Jane and Lisbon will be there as well."

Grace nodded and they continued walking back to the house together.

xxxxx

Jane left Lisbon on the porch, took his bag with clothes and toiletries and made his way up the stairs. He stopped at the top and looked at the different doors. There were three bathrooms up here. One, of course, in the master bedroom where Lisbon stayed. Another one in Grace's room. And another one between Rigsby's and Cho's rooms. There was a small guest bathroom downstairs, but it didn't have a shower in it. So that left him with the other three. He guessed that the others thought he would share the bathroom with the guys and he had planned on that too. But now he wasn't so sure. He wouldn't go into Grace's room without permission (well, or without a really good reason) but Lisbon's was another matter.

Would she get mad? Probably. But after all the things he told her earlier, he was sure that she would cut him some slack. He was still upset about meeting his father but he calmed down a bit after talking with Lisbon. Maybe talking wasn't as useless as he thought originally but he didn't think it was the miracle cure the shrinks made it out to be.

A cold gust of wind reminded him that he was still standing at the top of the stairs with wet pants and his bag in his hands.

Well, he thought, here goes nothing. Let's see what I can find in here. With that decision made, he took the first door on the right and walked straight into Lisbon's room.

xxxxx

Lisbon was still sitting on the beach when Cho came back.

He came over to her but didn't sit down.

"Jane okay?" He asked.

"Well," she started "I guess so. He was understandably upset but we talked about some things and now he is taking a shower."

"He talked to you?" Cho asked a little surprised. All the other times things happened that had to do with Jane's past, he would shut them out and think about it alone.

"Yeah, I was a little surprised myself but apparently he wants to talk for once. I only hope that talking will help him." Lisbon said.

"Hm." Cho said and turned to leave. "I will go and find something to read."

He turned around fully and made his way back to the house. He was still a little surprised to hear that Jane talked to Lisbon but he was glad. Maybe it would really help him. He made his way up the stairs towards his room when he saw Jane coming out of Lisbon's room. With wet hair, a white t-shirt and ridiculously colorful Hawaiian shorts, he didn't look one bit like the Patrick Jane he knew.

Cho stopped walking and looked at Jane with a raised eyebrow. Jane hadn't heard him coming up the stairs and was a little surprised to find him standing there. He stopped closing the door for a second and looked back at Cho. After about three seconds of staring, Jane smiled at Cho, finished closing the door and made his way down the stairs.

Cho shrugged and went to find his book. He decided to go downstairs to read because as uninterested as he always acted, he really wanted to see Lisbon's reaction to Jane's new choice of clothing and finding out where exactly he had showered.

With a small smile on his face, he made his way on the porch and took a seat. He opened his book and made himself comfortable. He didn't want to miss that show.

xxxxx

Lisbon was still thinking about what Jane had told her on the beach when she suddenly saw a big shadow behind her. She turned to look who it was, but before she could finish her head movement, Jane had already sat down next to her. Only it wasn't the normal Jane. His hair was wet, he wore a tight white t-shirt and the most ridiculous colorful Hawaiian shorts she had ever seen. There were palm trees on it in every color she could think of and some more in some colors she didn't even know the names of. He wore no shoes and the only other thing he had with him was his wedding ring on his finger. He looked a lot younger and more carefree this way. Lisbon definitely liked the vacation look on Jane. His hair was all but sparkling in the sun and she wouldn't even start on how well his tight white t-shirt fit him. He definitely was working out even when he always told her that he hated exercise in every form there is. There was no way he could have such a body without working out even a little bit.

After hearing a small chuckle next to her she realized that she must have been staring a little too long and promptly closed her mouth.

"Like what you see?" Jane teased her with a twinkle in his eyes.

She rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm. "Of course I do. Who can say no to those colors." She tried to keep a straight face, but the surprised look on his face was all it took for her to start laughing.

Jane frowned at her and looked down at his shorts.

"You don't like them? The lady in the store said that everybody wears those to the beach. I admit they are a little bright but otherwise they're really comfortable." Jane looked a little hurt and Lisbon tried to stop laughing. She couldn't prevent a small smile from staying on her face though.

"I like them Jane, don't worry. And I know that a lot of people wear those kind of shorts on the beach but I didn't expect you to be one of them. I only ever see you in a three-piece suit so I was just a little surprised."

Jane smiled at her and laughed a little himself. "They are a little strange I must admit. And not really my colors, but I'm on the beach so I think I'm allowed to wear something special."

"Yeah" Lisbon coughed "They are really special"; and then she started laughing again. This time Jane joined her and they laughed together for a long time.

On the porch of the beach house Cho saw Lisbon and Jane nearly rolling in the sand from laughter and wondered if his boss had finally lost her mind or if those colors did some damage to her brain.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Next chapter :) Enjoy and review_

**Chapter 5**

After sitting on the beach for about half an hour Jane and Lisbon decided they were hungry and went back to the beach house to find something to eat. They didn't get to eat anything for lunch so an early dinner was in order. Rigsby and Van Pelt had come back from their walk on the beach and were sitting in the kitchen, discussing what they wanted for dinner. Cho had decided to move inside to continue reading his book.

"Hey guys, are you hungry?" Jane asked his teammates and went to the kitchen to look through the fridge. "Lisbon really? You don't even have food in here!" he exclaimed and turned around to look at her accusingly.

"Well Jane, as you very well know, I only arrived yesterday afternoon and didn't have the time to go grocery shopping yet. Originally I planned to go this morning but then 'someone' knocked on my door and I've been a little preoccupied since then." She wasn't really angry at Jane for coming to spent some time with her but that didn't mean she would let him get off easily. "We could go to the store right now if you want. I don't know about you guys but I'm hungry. Rigsby you talked about a barbecue right? You up for that?" She continued and looked at Rigsby and the rest of her team expectantly.

"Of course!" Rigsby shouted and jumped up from the chair he had sat down in earlier.

"I'm hungry too, so I'm in." Grace said and searched for pen and paper to start writing a grocery list.

"Cho?" Lisbon turned to him and asked. "You in?"

"Sounds good. But do we even have a grill?" Before the words were completely out of his mouth Rigsby shouted "I'll go and look!" and was out of the door in seconds.

"Okay then", Lisbon said slowly and smiled. There was something about Rigsby's enthusiasm about food that made her smile every single time. "What do we need?" She asked and turned around to Grace who was already writing stuff down.

"Hey!" Jane exclaimed, "what about me? You won't ask me if I want a barbecue? What if I don't like grilled meat or something?"

"I know you like grilled meat Jane. We've eaten that in more than one occasion. And no, I won't ask you. This whole 'bother-Lisbon-on-her-vacation'-thing was your idea and I wouldn't be a good boss if I didn't punish you even a little bit. So you don't get a say in today's dinner options." Lisbon smiled at Jane's pout. She couldn't help but find it adorable.

Grace and Lisbon had just finished the grocery list as Rigsby came running back through the door. "There's one in the garden! Can we go now? I'm really hungry! The meat is already calling my name. Let's go!" He jumped up and down and looked at Lisbon like a small puppy with big, round, pleading eyes. If he could, he would wiggle with his tail, Lisbon thought and started snickering.

"What's so funny?" Jane asked. Of course he noticed, she thought and tried to stop her imagination which was running away with her. In her mind, she already saw Rigsby, with a wiggling tail, rolling on the ground, making whining noises just to get her attention.

She snorted and tried to cover it up with a cough. Jane looked at her strangely and was still pouting that he didn't get a say in their dinner choices.

Lisbon took a deep breath and calmed herself. "Okay guys. Let's go" she said and made her way to the hallway, where her car keys sat next to her purse. Everyone apart from Cho followed her.

"You don't want to come Cho?"

"Nah", he said, "I'm fine here. And it would be really crowded if all of us went. I'll see if I can set up the barbecue while you're gone. Have fun." Cho said and put his nose back into his latest book.

"Okay, see you then." Lisbon said, snatched her purse and car keys and made her way out the door. "I think there's a grocery store a few streets down. We could walk but I really don't want to carry all the meat Rigsby's going to want to eat back here." Lisbon said and was rounding her car to get to the driver's side. Just as she was about to unlock the door, a hand shot into her eyesight and snatched the keys from her. "What..." she stuttered as she turned around to come face to face with a serious looking Jane.

"What are you doing, Jane? Give me my keys!"

"Not a chance Lisbon. You are still hurt. You can't drive with one arm. How did you even get here? If I'd known you would drive your own car up here I'd have interfered sooner. Now, get to the passenger side and let me drive."

Lisbon gaped at him with wide eyes and her mouth hung open. "Did you just order me to the passenger side of MY car?" Lisbon was getting angry. How dare he! She got here just fine as she drove up here yesterday.

"Yes, and now buckle in. You do know that driving, while incapacitated,", Lisbon shot him a dirty look at that word, "doesn't matter how small the injury, is against the law. And I'm pretty sure you can't move your arm the way you have to to drive safely. No more arguments now. I won't budge on this." Jane sat down in the driver's seat and closed the door. Loudly.

Lisbon huffed and went to the passenger side. She was angry, but knew that Jane had a point. The drive up to the beach house wasn't a pleasant experience at all. She knew that she wasn't allowed to drive with her arm like that. But she didn't want to rely on public transportation and didn't even want to think about the money she would have had to spent if she had decided to take a cab. She was by no means poor, the CBI paid fairly, but a two and a half hour drive out of town was stretching it a bit. So she decided to take her car, despite her conscience and arm both telling her that that was not a good idea. She had put her sling in her purse, in case some street cop decided to stop her, and started the uncomfortable drive to the beach house.

Grace and Rigsby decided it was better to let the two of them be and quietly climbed into the backseats. As soon as Lisbon sat down, Jane started the car and drove the short way over to the next grocery store. The drive was silent, Lisbon, still a little put out that she wasn't the one who drove, was sulking in her seat and Jane decided on not making any comments in case he would aggravate her more than necessary. The two agents in the back looked at each other and shrugged. The silence would be over soon.

Jane stopped the car in an empty parking space and climbed out of the car. The others followed and together they made their way into the store. Upon entering, Rigsby and Grace each grabbed a basket and began searching for the things they would need. As soon as Lisbon grabbed a basket, Jane snatched it out of her hands and took it himself. She gave him a murderous glare, but didn't comment on it. Jane only smiled at her and decided the silence has gone on long enough.

"So what do we need, Lisbon?" he asked and looked at the shelves on both sides of him.

Lisbon was still pouting that Jane took her car AND shopping basket but decided to answer anyway. She knew her behavior was childish and that Jane was right, not that she will let him know that.

"I guess Rigsby is already getting all the meat he can carry so we should search for some side dishes and bread. A few vegetables. Those kinds of things. Any ideas?"

"Well..." Jane started, but was interrupted by someone shouting his name. Loudly.

"Patrick! Look Brandon, it's Patrick!" Sammy shouted excitedly, jumping up and down next to his brother who had a small smile on his face.

Jane was surprised to see them here. Alone.

"Sammy! How are you? What are you doing here?" he asked and made his way over to the two boys. Lisbon followed him, curious to get to know the two kids who were living with Janes father.

Sammy was still jumping up and down and ran towards Jane as soon as Brandon let go of his hand. He didn't stop running before crashing into Jane's legs and hugged them tightly. Jane smiled at him and crouched down in front of Sammy as soon as the little one let go of his legs.

"Patrick! I'm so glad to see you again! What are you doing here? Are you buying food?" Sammy asked.

"Great to see you too Sammy. Yes we are buying food as well. Where is your uncle?"

Brandon had come over to stand next to them and answered for Sammy. "He gave us some money and sent us grocery shopping. He's not here. I'm Brandon by the way. Nice to meet you again." Brandon said and held out a hand for Jane to shake. Jane stood up again and did just that and was about to continue his questioning when Sammy pulled a little at his arm.

"Patrick? Who's the pretty lady next to you?" he whispered loudly and looked at Jane questioningly.

"Oh where are my manners" Jane laughed and turned face Lisbon. "That is my friend Teresa. We are on vacation here together."

Sammy looked up at her with a wide grin and held up his hand just like he saw Brandon doing earlier. "My name is Sammy. Nice to meet you, Teresa."

Lisbon smiled down at Sammy and crouched down in front of him just like Jane did earlier. She took Sammy's hand and shook it lightly. "Nice to meet you too, Sammy. You are here alone? Where is your uncle?" Lisbon asked and looked from Sammy's smiling face to Brandon's grim one.

"Yes we are." Brandon answered and shook Lisbon's offered hand. "Alex went off somewhere. We don't really know where he goes when we don't have a show. But he left us some money so we could buy us dinner. And he is always back in the morning so it's no big deal."

Jane looked at the two children with wide eyes. "He leaves you alone at night? How often is he going away? And what if something happens while he's away?"

"Don't worry Patrick. We are used to it. He is away three or four times a week." Brandon answered.

Jane was angry. How could his father treat this kids like that? It was bad enough that he didn't care about his own son, but Sammy and Brandon were not even his and he had a choice in taking care of them. If he didn't want them he could have said so and somebody else would have taken them in. But no, not his father, he needed someone new for his fake psychic show and didn't care where he got that person.

Lisbon saw that Jane was really angry, probably shouting at his father in his mind. She didn't even know this kids or Jane's father but she was angry too. Nobody should treat children like that. She saw Sammy's eyes wandering from Jane's face to hers and back to Jane's. She saw the confusion in his eyes and tried to distract him.

"Hey Sammy, do you like barbecue?" she asked and smiled at him.

His attention snapped back to her and he smiled widely at her.

"Yes! I love barbecue! But we don't have it often, 'cause uncle says it's too dangerous with the fire."

At least he doesn't let them play with fire, Lisbon thought and smiled at Sammy and Brandon.

"We are having one today. You want to come?" Lisbon asked and looked from Sammy's excited face to Brandon's.

"Yes!" Sammy shouted and turned around to look at his brother with pleading eyes. "Please Brandon, can we go? Please!"

Brandon looked from her to Sammy and back again.

"Are you sure? We don't want to impose..." he started but Lisbon interrupted him.

"Nonsense. We would love to have you. So, you coming?"

Brandon smiled at her and then at Sammy and said "Sure".

Sammy squealed and began jumping up and down again.

The squeal brought Jane back out of his thoughts and he looked from a grinning Lisbon to a jumping Sammy and lastly to a smiling Brandon.

"Um, guys? Did I miss something?"

"Teresa invited us to barbecue!" Sammy squealed happily.

Jane looked at her surprised. "You did?"

Lisbon shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why not. We can get to know them better and they'll get a good meal out of it."

Jane smiled widely and stepped a step forward to hug her. Lisbon was surprised but returned the hug. "Thank you" Jane murmured in her ear and let her go again.

Lisbon just smiled at him.

"So guys, what do you like for barbecue?" she asked Sammy and Brandon and Sammy began shouting all the things he liked to eat.

Lisbon laughed and took the three boys through the store and put everything they would need into the basket Jane was carrying.

She briefly wondered where Grace and Rigsby had ended up, but couldn't hold that thought as Sammy pulled her to one of the shelves.

Oh well, she thought, we'll find them soon enough.


End file.
